What Would Jesus Do?

Since having Jackson, I have a lot more of my thoughts devoted to others' needs.  Even when teaching, I have become much softer in my approach to discipline because I can truly see each student as someone's pride and joy instead of just a student.  I can't pinpoint exactly why having a child makes someone see the world differently; but for me, since I am putting all of my energy and thoughts into giving my child the best the world can offer, it makes me consider little ways that I can try to make someone else have a better day.

With that being said, there is so much more I can do.  To really be Christ-like (as the Bible tells us to be), it would require a lot more time and bravery than I'm ready to commit, though.  A few examples from the past week:  would Jesus ever pass by a homeless person without talking to him or giving him some food?  Probably not.  But I do this all the time.  I know that I should and could help them, but I choose to be selfish with my time and money.  Also this week, I was driving home from my work Christmas party (in England, they call it a "Christmas Do") and on this quiet, foggy country road, I saw a man stumbling and swaying home around midnight.  He clearly needed help getting home and seeing as there weren't any houses close by, I didn't know how much more of a journey he had to go to get home safely.  Would Jesus have kept driving?  Probably not.  But, I did.  On a basic, human-to-human level, ignoring these situations is really cruel.  Even though I did what the majority of people would do in these two instances, it doesn't mean that it makes it right.

To make amends with ignoring big situations like the homelessness on my doorstep and people in distress that I pass, I try to be as loving as I can be to the people in my life.  I am going to keep trying to be like Jesus and gradually turn my little actions into bigger, more concrete good deeds that spread to my community.  Thinking about Jesus's arrival with only one more week to go, and the main message He wanted to teach us during His short time on Earth--to love one another--it's the least we can do and a good starting point for us all.

Jackson getting his Christmas pictures taken at nursery.  He chose this pose himself!

His first head shot

Believe it or not, Jackson was crying and screaming before this picture was taken and then after we let him hold some toys, he started posing again.

Developmental updates:  Jackson learned a lot this week and really seemed to blossom into an even more sociable little chap.  He started blowing kisses when someone says good-bye.  When we make roaring noises and ask, "What sound does a lion make?", Jackson will imitate us in a soft, baby roar that sounds a bit like a newly hatched dinosaur.  Another thing we experienced for the first time was Jackson's first tantrum.  He was trying to stick his fingers in an electrical socket and we kept pushing his hand away and saying, "No."  He got fed-up with us and turned his back, then pushed his bottom lip out, and started to cry.  When we didn't give in to his attempts to get his way, then he smacked the wall in protest.  I was surprised at the whole scene, but even more surprised that he was throwing a fit when he's only 14-months-old.  I expected this to happen when he reached the age of two.  We're nearly a year early!  Even though Jackson is still our little baby and he is the best boy we know, I feel like we have to be stern when it comes to letting Jackson always have his way.  He's starting to test his boundaries and to learn what we will let him get away with.  If we don't address the misbehaviour now, then it will be a lot harder to correct later down the road.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

All By Myself

A semblance of normalcy has finally returned to our house!  Our kitchen floors and stairs all have their new flooring in place and it looks great.  We are really pleased to have had some good customer service and good results from a local company.  Within two weeks of going to look around at options, we now have beautiful new floors.  Out with the old and in with the new!  And any reminders of the drunken decorator have now been erased because there are no blue splotches of paint on our new Berber carpet.  On top of all of that, we also finished another week in good health.  Hallelujah!

Lee and I noticed how much Jackson has grown-up since he started walking (and running, sometimes).  He really commands a room.  I'll paint a picture of what happens when I drop him off at nursery:  Jackson tries to run toward his friends and teachers before I have a chance to unzip his snowsuit.  Then, when he's finally out, he toddles over to one of the children and gives the sweetest, gentlest hug.  After that, the other children gather around Jackson, offering up their toys.  He takes them and sits in the middle of a circle of children playing and then hands out the toys so everyone can play with him.  Then he waves good-bye to me with a big smile on his face.

When I pick him up at the end of the day, I like to peek in through the window to see what he's doing with his friends first and lately, he's been playing chase with his friends!  He's walking really quickly and with confidence.  He even tried to go walking down the stairs this week when we took down the baby gates for the carpet to be laid.  Let the heart attacks ensue!  Of course we were right beside him to grab him from a treacherous step down, but we were still shocked by his fearlessness.

As we're getting ready for Christmas and picking out toys for Jackson, it's amazing how we know what he will like to play with whereas last year, we just chose generic baby things.  He has his own personality and interests already!  Jackson likes to be artistic at nursery and can even hold pencils, pens and crayons with the correct hand grip.  He is very delicate and deliberate making his marks on a page.

Even though he can't speak in complete sentences yet, it does seem as though Jackson is saying that he wants to do things by himself now.  He's a brave little boy who, by the sounds of it, has no fear at nursery and tries every new activity that comes his way.  His love of life and excitement to play and entertain energizes us and definitely makes our days brighter.  Jackson truly is the epitome of a 'bundle of joy'!

Jackson learned how to put the coins into the cash register and even matched some of the coins to their correct slots

Our kitchen floor before the redecorating

It took us (mainly Lee) all week to get the three layers of tiles off.  The first two came off easily, but the last layer was really old and crusty and came off bit by bit.

The carpet on our stairs now (it used to be green)

The kitchen floor after all of the hard work!

Jackson loves having space to move again!  He was crawling, walking, and running from room to room and shouting in delight at the new surfaces.

Developmental updates:  This week, Jackson took the pen from his teacher when I was supposed to sign him out and he signed the sheet with his 'signature.'  Today he used a spoon to mix and mash strawberries and 'eat' them.  He was laughing and talking the whole time and to taste his creation, he dipped the spoon in the juice and ate it.  (I fed him some strawberries on the side so he didn't just have a snack of strawberry juice.)  Yesterday, Jackson was playing with the telephone at nursery and his teachers told me that he was saying, "Mom" over and over and after each time, he laughed.  (The weird coincidence about this is that I got a missed call on my phone from an 'unknown' number.  Very strange indeed!)  I am really proud to also announce that Jackson has finally made it on his nursery's weekly newsletter.  He's on the front page of this week's edition and it's from his magical meeting with Santa.  Give it another year and he'll probably have his own column.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

The Christmas Season is in full swing and it's easy to appreciate the magic of the holiday since we are all healthy and we made it through another week without visiting the hospital.  To get in the spirit at school, my class made paper chains, designed Santa's workshops to hang on our windows, and crafted Advent wreaths and ornaments to adorn our classroom.  We also put up our class Christmas tree and lights which we gather around and turn on at the end of every day to sing a Christmas carol.  I feel lucky to teach a class of seven- and eight-year-olds because there is still a magical feeling in the air at the mere mention of Father Christmas.

Today, we took Jackson to meet Santa Claus who was waiting in his 'grotto' at Jackson's nursery.  The nursery and school have five different buildings so there was enough room for many activities and a special room decorated just for Santa and his helpers where, after waiting in a line for about twenty minutes, Jackson met Santa and we got to take his picture.  He also got a wrapped present from Santa.  Jackson took his time walking towards Santa and I served as a barrier between him and his new friend, but even though he was a bit leery of Kris Kringle, he didn't cry.  Instead, he just watched the Jolly Old Elf intently and took everything in with a discerning stare.  We were really happy with the entire experience because Santa took his time to talk with Jackson and with a big stairway leading to Santa, we couldn't hear any of the other kids waiting in line.  It was a similar set-up to Ralphie's climb in A Christmas Story, but with a more jovial Santa.

After we made our visit to the grotto, we enjoyed German sausages, visited the Year 6 Business Club stalls, went to the craft and activity tables where Jackson made a gift tag (and allowed himself an impromptu tour of the classrooms), and we listened to Christmas carols by a pianist--and Jackson wasn't afraid to start dancing in the middle of the hall (gymnasium).  There were also raffle tickets to buy, a cake sale, mulled wine and hot chocolate for sale, and a Yankee Candle gift stall run by some of the parents.

The best part of the day was when Jackson saw his teachers, he gave all of them a hug and one of them even said that I am the "luckiest mom in the world."  She said that Jackson "always eats every bite of his meals, smiles all the time, and is always happy."  Wow!  What a wonderful compliment and a fulfilling feeling to hear how content our little baby is when he's out on his own in the world without his mommy or daddy to lean on.

Tomorrow Jackson will be turning 14-months-old and we are so proud of him and everything that he has learned to do.  He will always be our little baby, but we can see many traits of his boyish, toddler side coming through, especially since he started walking.  We are so grateful for our perfect, lovable, caring little boy!

Smiling by the Christmas tree at Ashbridge

Jackson's first visit to a real Santa's grotto

Ashbridge Nursery decked out for Christmas

Jackson gave us a tour of the pets and pointed to his favourite rabbits

Our beautiful baby boy

Developmental updates:  Jackson has developed a 'shocked' face when he is surprised by something or someone--especially when we sneak up on him.  His sociable side has blossomed even more and we saw this as he boldly approached all of the children of his same height and stood face-to-face, trying to talk to them at the Christmas event today.  There was one girl in particular today that he really wanted to befriend and despite her efforts to ignore him, he went to 'talk' to her three times and even moved her hair out of her eyes with his left index finger.  Smooth, Jackson.  After she smiled and finally interacted with him, then he went on his way.  Jackson also tried to make friends with a boy in the local carpet and flooring store today.  (We went back to put an order in for carpeting for our stairs and landing.  All of that should be done next Saturday so tune in for the before and after photos.)  The final example I saw of Jackson becoming friendlier with his peers was when he entered nursery on Monday, he walked over to Liliana and gave her a hug, rested his head on her shoulder and kept hugging her for about 30 seconds!  It was heartwarming to say the least.  He must have waited all weekend to finally do that.  He is still giving us hugs and has started holding our hands when he wants us to go walking with him.  Jackson is also giving 'kisses' to us and leaning in toward us so we can sit forehead-to-forehead with him.  His latest favourite song is Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!  Jackson's done very well this week and has switched completely to only drinking whole milk, leaving the formula in the dust (pun intended).  He likes to share his toys with us and to hand us various objects he finds throughout the house.  Jackson also had his first experience of clearing out a kitchen cupboard of its entire contents and he chose to start with the Tupperware.  He actually managed to put two pieces back before he called it quits and headed up the stairs to bed.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.